Long-life space dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector

Abstract

The invention relates to a dual-channel optical fiber connecting device, in particular to a long-service-life space dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector, and aims to overcome the defects that in the prior art, an optical fiber rotary connector is poor in environmental adaptability, complex in assembly and high in machining and assembly precision requirement. A long-life space dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector comprises a stator sleeve, a rotor sleeve, a first optical assembly and a second optical assembly. The first optical assembly comprises a first self-focusing lens, a beam expanding assembly and a conical lens group which are sequentially arranged in the stator sleeve along a light path, and a beam shrinking assembly and a second self-focusing lens which are sequentially arranged in the rotor sleeve along the light path, and the second optical assembly comprises a third self-focusing lens and a fourth self-focusing lens which are sequentially arranged along the light path; the coaxial double channels are formed through the first optical assembly and the second optical assembly, signal transmission in the rotating process is achieved, and mechanical transmission mechanisms such as gears and magnets do not need to be arranged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a dual-channel optical fiber connection device, in particular to a long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector. Background Art

[0002] Fiber optic rotary connector is an important optical device for signal transmission. It uses optical fiber as a transmission medium to transmit signals between a rotating platform and another stationary platform. With the rapid development of signal transmission, fiber optic rotary connectors have been widely used in many fields. At present, with the rapid development of aerospace industry, fiber optic rotary connectors used in aerospace field need to have the characteristics of high reliability and long life.

[0003] At present, the commonly used fiber optic rotary connectors include dove prism structure, reflector structure and lens structure. Among them, the fiber optic rotary connector with dove prism structure adopts the light transmission principle of dove prism, realizes 2:1 deceleration through gear transmission mechanism, and offsets the 1:2 rotation ratio of the dove prism image, realizing multi-channel signal transmission at the stator end and the rotor end. Due to its mechanical structure, it has poor adaptability in the space environment and low reliability. The environmental adaptability of the dove prism is poor. Under hot and humid conditions, condensation will occur on the surface of the dove prism, resulting in the failure of normal transmission of the optical signal. The fiber optic rotary connector with reflector structure uses a reflector to realize the steering of the light beam transmission, and after multiple reflections, the light beam enters the receiving end to complete the signal transmission. In this structure, magnets or gears can be selected as the support of the reflector. Due to the existence of the reflector structure, the transmission path of the multi-channel light beam transmission is more complicated, the assembly difficulty is higher, and part of the light beam will be blocked, which increases the insertion loss of the fiber optic rotary connection; at the same time, the magnet and gear structure will reduce the reliability of the fiber optic rotary connector and have poor environmental adaptability. The optical fiber rotary connector with lens structure uses Fresnel lens or spherical lens structure to construct a passive symmetrical optical structure of dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector. Some optical devices at the transmitting end are placed off-axis and transmitted to the receiving end through Fresnel lens or spherical lens. However, the receiving end in this structure has poor coupling beam capability, and requires high precision in processing and assembly. In addition, this structure mostly realizes unidirectional signal transmission, and it is difficult to complete bidirectional transmission. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the shortcomings of the prior art optical fiber rotary connector, such as poor environmental adaptability, complex assembly, and high precision requirements for processing and assembly, and to provide a long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector comprises a stator sleeve and a rotor sleeve connected in coaxial rotation, and is special in that it also comprises a first optical component and a second optical component; the first optical component comprises a first self-focusing lens, a beam expansion component, and a cone lens group which are sequentially arranged in the stator sleeve along the optical path, and a beam reduction component and a second self-focusing lens which are sequentially arranged in the rotor sleeve along the optical path, the first self-focusing lens is arranged at one end of the stator sleeve away from the rotor sleeve, and the input end is connected to the first input optical fiber, the beam reduction component is arranged at one end of the rotor sleeve close to the stator sleeve, the incident end corresponds to the exit end of the cone lens group, and the output end of the second self-focusing lens is connected to the first output optical fiber; the second optical component comprises a third self-focusing lens and a fourth self-focusing lens which are sequentially arranged along the optical path, the third self-focusing lens is arranged at the other end of the stator sleeve, and the input end is connected to the second input optical fiber, the fourth self-focusing lens is arranged at one end of the rotor sleeve, and the output end is connected to the second output optical fiber.

[0007] Furthermore, it also includes two optical windows respectively arranged at the other end of the stator sleeve and one end of the rotor sleeve, and a mounting through hole is provided on the optical window along the central axis;

[0008] The third self-focusing lens is arranged in the mounting through hole of the stator sleeve corresponding to the optical window, and the fourth self-focusing lens is arranged in the mounting through hole of the rotor sleeve corresponding to the optical window.

[0009] Furthermore, a stator end cover is disposed at one end of the stator sleeve, a first through hole is disposed on the stator end cover along the central axis, and a first self-focusing lens is disposed in the first through hole;

[0010] A rotor end cover is arranged at the other end of the rotor sleeve. A second through hole is formed along the central axis of the rotor end cover. The second self-focusing lens is arranged in the second through hole.

[0011] Furthermore, the axicon lens group includes a first axicon lens and a second axicon lens sequentially arranged along the optical path, and the conical surface of the first axicon lens and the conical surface of the second axicon lens are arranged opposite to each other.

[0012] Furthermore, the beam expansion assembly comprises a first concave lens, a first meniscus lens and a second meniscus lens which are sequentially arranged along the optical path, and the convex surfaces of the first meniscus lens and the second meniscus lens face the other end of the stator sleeve.

[0013] Further, the beam reduction assembly includes a third meniscus lens, a fourth meniscus lens and a second concave lens arranged in sequence along the optical path;

[0014] The convex surfaces of the third meniscus lens and the fourth meniscus lens face one end of the rotor sleeve.

[0015] Furthermore, the stator sleeve and the rotor sleeve are connected via a ceramic ball bearing, and a bearing cage of the ceramic ball bearing is made of polyimide material.

[0016] Furthermore, the beam expansion component is configured as a Kepler beam expansion system or a Cassegrain system.

[0017] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0018] 1. In a long-life space dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector of the present invention, a coaxial first optical component and a second optical component are arranged to form a coaxial dual channel, and a stator sleeve and a rotor sleeve that are rotatably connected are combined to realize signal transmission during the rotation process. There is no need to set mechanical transmission mechanisms such as gears and magnets, and the difficulty of assembly is greatly reduced. The risk of the optical fiber rotary connector not being able to work due to failure of the mechanical transmission mechanism is also reduced. The connector has the characteristics of high reliability and strong environmental adaptability in a space environment.

[0019] 2. The long-life space dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector of the present invention is passive, has strong anti-electromagnetic interference energy, can be used in special environments or extreme environments, and can also be applied to radar or medical fields.

[0020] 3. The two signal transmission channels in the long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector of the present invention can realize bidirectional transmission. The first self-focusing lens is combined with the first concave lens and the beam expansion component to expand the collimated beam by a multiple, and then pass through the cone lens group again to modulate it into a hollow beam. By selecting cone lenses with different cone angles and / or changing the distance between the two cone lenses, collimated hollow beams with different central apertures can be obtained.

[0021] 4. In the long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector of the present invention, the laser beam of the external channel will not be blocked by the middle channel, which reduces the insertion loss of the external channel and improves the overall performance of the optical fiber rotary connector.

[0022] 5. The present invention adopts high-precision self-lubricating ceramic ball bearings in a long-life space dual-channel fiber optic rotary connector, which ensures the stability and reliability of optical signal transmission and has the characteristics of long life; the ceramic ball bearings are lubricated with materials with little influence of ion radiation and low condensable volatiles, ensuring that the long-life space dual-channel fiber optic rotary connector has a radiation-resistant and low-pollution working environment and has good spatial adaptability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Description of reference numerals:

[0025] 1- stator end cover, 2- bolt, 3- rotor end cover, 4- bearing pressure ring, 5- bearing seat, 6- stator sleeve, 7- mirror frame, 8- pressure ring, 9- washer, 10- ceramic ball bearing, 11- optical window, 12- first meniscus lens, 13- second meniscus lens, 14- first cone lens, 15- second cone lens, 16- second input optical fiber, 17- third self-focusing lens, 18- first output optical fiber, 19- fourth self-focusing lens, 20- second output optical fiber, 21- third meniscus lens, 22- fourth meniscus lens, 23- second concave lens, 24- second self-focusing lens, 25- first self-focusing lens, 26- first input optical fiber, 27- rotor sleeve, 28- self-focusing lens mounting bracket, 29- first concave lens. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present invention discloses a long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector, comprising a stator sleeve 6, a rotor sleeve 27, a first optical component and a second optical component; the stator sleeve 6 and the rotor sleeve 27 are coaxially connected through a ceramic ball bearing 10, and the ceramic ball bearing 10 is mainly composed of a bearing pressure ring 4, a bearing retainer, a bearing seat 5, a ceramic ball and other structures, and is a key component to ensure signal transmission and service life.

[0027] The first optical assembly is used to transmit the first optical signal, and includes a first self-focusing lens 25, a first concave lens 29, a first meniscus lens 12, a second meniscus lens 13, and a cone lens group, which are sequentially arranged in the stator sleeve 6 along the optical path, and a third meniscus lens 21, a fourth meniscus lens 22, a second concave lens 23, and a second self-focusing lens 24, which are sequentially arranged in the rotor sleeve 27 along the optical path. Each optical lens in the first optical assembly is connected to the stator sleeve 6 or the rotor sleeve 27 through a lens holder 7, and a pressure ring 8 and a gasket 9 are provided to improve the stability of the optical lens.

[0028] The first optical signal is input through the first input optical fiber 26 to the first self-focusing lens 25 arranged at the end of the stator sleeve 6 away from the rotor sleeve 27 for expansion and collimation, and then passes through the expansion component composed of the first concave lens 29, the first meniscus lens 12, and the second meniscus lens 13 to achieve high-magnification expansion and collimation of the first optical signal. The convex surfaces of the first meniscus lens 12 and the second meniscus lens 13 face the other end of the stator sleeve 6. The expanded and collimated first optical signal passes through the conical lens group composed of the first conical lens 14 and the second conical lens 15 with conical surfaces arranged opposite to each other, and is shaped into a collimated hollow light beam as an external channel. The present invention is provided with a second optical component along the central axis to form a central channel. Therefore, converting the first optical signal into a collimated hollow light beam can avoid it being blocked by the central channel. The collimated hollow light beam is focused and collimated by a focusing assembly consisting of a third meniscus lens 21, a fourth meniscus lens 22 and a second concave lens 23, and is incident in parallel to the second self-focusing lens 24, which is coupled to the first output optical fiber 18 to achieve efficient signal transmission. The convex surfaces of the third meniscus lens 21 and the fourth meniscus lens 22 face one end of the rotor sleeve 27 close to the stator sleeve 6.

[0029] The laser beam corresponding to the first optical signal is expanded by the first self-focusing lens 25 and then output as a collimated beam, realizing primary beam expansion; the above-mentioned beam expansion component is a Galilean beam expansion system composed of a first concave lens 29, a first meniscus lens 12, and a second meniscus lens 13, realizing secondary beam expansion of the first optical signal. In other embodiments of the present invention, the beam expansion component can also use a Keplerian beam expansion system or a Cassegrain system. The present invention utilizes the first self-focusing lens 25 and the Galilean beam expansion system to form a secondary beam expansion system, realizing multiple compensation beam expansion of the laser beam in the external channel, and then uses a conical lens group to expand the range of the local hollow beam.

[0030] Two optical windows 11 are respectively arranged at the other end of the stator sleeve 6 and one end of the rotor sleeve 27, and the two optical windows 11 have mounting holes along the central axis. The second optical component is used to transmit the second optical signal, and includes a third self-focusing lens 17 and a fourth self-focusing lens 19. The third self-focusing lens 17 is arranged in the mounting hole of the stator sleeve 6 corresponding to the optical window 11, and the fourth self-focusing lens 19 is arranged in the mounting hole of the rotor sleeve 27 corresponding to the optical window 11. The second optical signal is incident on the third self-focusing lens 17 through the second input optical fiber 16, and then output from the second output optical fiber 20 through the fourth self-focusing lens 19.

[0031] In order to improve the installation flexibility, a stator end cover 1 is provided at one end of the stator sleeve 6 of the present invention, and the two are fixedly connected by bolts 2. The stator end cover 1 is provided with a first through hole along the central axis, and the first self-focusing lens 25 is provided in the first through hole. A rotor end cover 3 is provided at the other end of the rotor sleeve 27, and the rotor end cover 3 is provided with a second through hole along the central axis, and the second self-focusing lens 24 is provided in the second through hole. The first self-focusing lens 25 and the second self-focusing lens 24 are connected to the stator end cover 1 and the rotor end cover 3 respectively through a self-focusing lens mounting bracket 28.

[0032] In the present invention, the ceramic ball bearing 10 is lubricated by non-metallic materials with low mass loss and low condensable volatility. The non-metallic materials have less condensable volatiles, which effectively reduce the pollution to the optical system. The bearing retainer is made of polyimide material, which greatly improves the service life in terms of both material and structure. At the same time, each optical lens and optical window 11 in the present invention uses radiation-resistant optical glass, which effectively avoids the influence of space particle radiation.

Claims

1. A long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector, comprising a stator sleeve (6) and a rotor sleeve (27) coaxially rotatably connected, characterized in that: Also included is a first optical assembly and a second optical assembly; The first optical component comprises a first self-focusing lens (25), a beam expansion component, and a conical lens group, which are sequentially arranged in a stator sleeve (6) along an optical path, and a beam reduction component and a second self-focusing lens (24), which are sequentially arranged in a rotor sleeve (27) along the optical path. The first self-focusing lens (25) is arranged at an end of the stator sleeve (6) away from the rotor sleeve (27), and the input end is connected to a first input optical fiber (26). The beam reduction component is arranged at an end of the rotor sleeve (27) close to the stator sleeve (6), and the incident end corresponds to the exit end of the conical lens group. The output end of the second self-focusing lens (24) is connected to the first output optical fiber (18). The second optical component comprises a third self-focusing lens (17) and a fourth self-focusing lens (19) which are arranged in sequence along the optical path; the third self-focusing lens (17) is arranged at the other end of the stator sleeve (6), and the input end is connected to the second input optical fiber (16); the fourth self-focusing lens (19) is arranged at one end of the rotor sleeve (27), and the output end is connected to the second output optical fiber (20).

2. According to claim 1, a long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector, characterized in that: It also includes two optical windows (11) respectively arranged at the other end of the stator sleeve (6) and one end of the rotor sleeve (27), and the optical windows (11) are provided with mounting through holes along the central axis; The third self-focusing lens (17) is arranged in a mounting through hole of the stator sleeve (6) corresponding to the optical window (11), and the fourth self-focusing lens (19) is arranged in a mounting through hole of the rotor sleeve (27) corresponding to the optical window (11).

3. According to claim 2, a long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector, characterized in that: A stator end cover (1) is disposed at one end of the stator sleeve (6), a first through hole is disposed on the stator end cover (1) along the central axis, and a first self-focusing lens (25) is disposed in the first through hole; A rotor end cover (3) is arranged at the other end of the rotor sleeve (27), a second through hole is formed in the rotor end cover (3) along the central axis, and a second self-focusing lens (24) is arranged in the second through hole.

4. A long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The aconic lens group comprises a first aconic lens (14) and a second aconic lens (15) which are arranged in sequence along the optical path, and the conical surface of the first aconic lens (14) and the conical surface of the second aconic lens (15) are arranged opposite to each other.

5. According to claim 4, a long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector is characterized in that: The beam expansion assembly comprises a first concave lens (29), a first meniscus lens (12) and a second meniscus lens (13) which are sequentially arranged along the optical path, and the convex surfaces of the first meniscus lens (12) and the second meniscus lens (13) face the other end of the stator sleeve (6).

6. The long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The beam reduction assembly comprises a third meniscus lens (21), a fourth meniscus lens (22) and a second concave lens (23) which are sequentially arranged along the optical path; The convex surfaces of the third meniscus lens (21) and the fourth meniscus lens (22) face one end of the rotor sleeve (27).

7. The long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The stator sleeve (6) and the rotor sleeve (27) are connected via a ceramic ball bearing (10), and a bearing retainer of the ceramic ball bearing (10) is made of polyimide material.

8. The long-life spatial dual-channel optical fiber rotary connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The beam expansion component is configured as a Kepler beam expansion system or a Cassegrain system.

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